I grew up in the city of Port Coquitlam and May Day has been an annual tradition for the community. This year they will be celebrating 100 years of May Day. Celebrations and community activities will start from Friday, May 5^th all the way until Saturday, May 13^th. There will be lots of culture events, arts and activities for the community to take part in.

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The most iconic part of the celebration is the Rotary May Day Parade. I remember watching the parade when I was little. From marching bands to cultural dances and beautiful artwork on display. There was just so much to see and it’s a great time to interact with other people from the community. You might even meet some new friends while you’re there.

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The City of Port Coquitlam is providing free round-trip shuttle bus services from four different schools to PCCC (Port Coquitlam Community Centre) in downtown Poco. Residents of Port Coquitlam can take the shuttles from Minnekhada Middle School, James Park Elementary School, École Mary Hill Elementary School or Castle Park Elementary School. Everyone is encouraged to leave their vehicles at home and just take transit because downtown Poco will have very limited amount of parking. Many streets will be closed off for the parade and cultural activities.

“Join us for the Rotary May Day Parade in downtown PoCo — one longest-running, most iconic community parades in the Lower Mainland! Enjoy vibrant floats, marching bands, and more.”

City of Port Coquitlam

 

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The Opening Ceremony will take place at PCCC on Friday May 5^th at 7:30 pm with various dance performances and presentations. There will be a Spring Art Show in Leigh Square to promote May Days tradition. There will be a panel discussion and writing workshops for the May Days Readers & Writers Festival. If you are into slam poetry or other forms of literature, show your support and come to the event. Pancake breakfast at 8:00 am on Saturday morning is a pre-parade tradition. Donations will be going to support Poco Scouts. There will also be a section with over 15 carnival games and rides for the little children to have fun. Food trucks will be located in various areas if you are feeling a little hungry during the day.

During the May Day celebration there is a May Queen and an Ambassador. The first May Queen of Port Coquitlam is Miss Evelyn Mars in 1923. That was also the year of the first official community May Day.